Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday asked the government to withdraw permission given to Naga separatist leader Thuingaleng Muivah to visit his birthplace in Manipur, in order to defuse the situation created by economic blockade of the state by some Naga groups.
The blockade is enforced by Naga tribal groups against the Manipur government’s decision not to allow Muivah to visit the state.

A three-member BJP delegation, which returned Friday from a visit to Manipur, also blamed Home Minister P. Chidambaram for the present situation in the north-eastern state.

“The BJP demands immediate withdrawal of permission granted to National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) general secretary T. Muivah to visit Manipur. The central and state governments should immediately swing into action to clear the blockade and rush supplies to the state,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

Javadekar, who was member of the delegation that visited Manipur, said the situation in the state was “explosive” as stocks of kerosene, petrol, diesel, and life-saving drugs had depleted.

He said the state government had failed to live up to the challenge and had not made concerted efforts to get supplies from alternate routes and end the strike of its employees.

Accusing Chidambaram of “unlitateralism”, Javadekar said the crisis in Manipur had been caused by the central government giving permission to Muivah to visit his ancestral village without consulting the state government.

“Chidambaram’s unilateralism in announcing Telangana state had caused a flare up in Andhra Pradesh. Manipur is the second such example of his unilateralism,” he said.

Javadekar said they will meet Chidambaram Friday evening to demand withdrawal of permission given to Muivah.

He also demanded that government should declare unequivocally that borders of Manipur were not negotiable.

The three-member committee, appointed by BJP president Nitin Gadkari, to visit Manipur also included party spokesman Tarun Vijay and party MP Bijoya Chakravarty.

The delegation interacted with various civil society organisations, political parties and visited the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and oil depots.